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Forestry group joins carbon credit market

The Alabama Treasure Forest Association (ATFA) signed on as a carbon credits contract facilitator, the AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation announced today.

Members commit to reducing greenhouse gas by capping the total emission allowance within the industry. Credit value is assigned to the emissions and can be sold or traded.

"The emergence of the market for carbon credits enables forest owners to receive an additional financial incentive for their conservation practices," said Dave Krog, CEO for AgraGate.

The ATFA will work with forest owners in the state to educate them on the carbon market and help determine whether their property and practices will qualify for carbon credits, according to James Malone, executive director of the association. "Alabama ranks second in the nation with its 23 million acres of forested land, so this is a tremendous opportunity for forest owners to increase revenue by the sale of carbon credits."

A charter member of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX,) AgraGate is the leading aggregator of carbon credits from agriculture. The Mobile-based ATFA, founded in 1991, is an association of private forest owners in Alabama.

The CCX launched trading in December 2003. Member companies have voluntarily committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Though they must reduce actual emissions, they also can purchase carbon credits to offset a portion of their carbon dioxide reduction commitment. Research shows that trees are very good at converting atmospheric carbon dioxide to a sequestered, stable form of carbon within the tree.

The Alabama Treasure Forest Association (ATFA) signed on as a carbon credits contract facilitator, the AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation announced today.